A winter storm descended on parts of the Middle East, with snow forcing the
closure of all roads leading in and out of Jerusalem and sprinkling Israel's
desert with a rare layer of white. Snow also fell in parts of the West Bank,
Lebanon, Jordan and Syria as a cold front swept through the region. The Holy
Land's ancient sites were picture-postcard pretty. Snow capped the golden
Dome of the Rock (above), a Muslim site in Jerusalem, dusted the Western
Wall, a Jewish holy site, and blanketed the Nativity Church in the West Bank
town of Bethlehem, where Christian tradition holds that Jesus was born.